Assistant basketball coach Laur leaves MSSU for Ball State job

August 28, 2008 01:05 am

— By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
Matt Laur has resigned his position as men’s basketball assistant coach at Missouri Southern to join the staff at Ball State University.
Laur has accepted the position of director of basketball operations at Ball State. His responsibilities will include making travel arrangements and film exchanges, but the position does not allow any recruiting or on-the-floor coaching.
Laur, who worked one year on the MSSU staff, left Joplin on Wednesday for Muncie, Ind.
“He did a nice job for us,” Lions head coach Robert Corn said. “Obviously with your assistants, you want them to advance in their careers, and he felt this was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.”
Because school has just started, it might be difficult for the Lions to fill their No. 2 assistant’s job.
“We’ve usually used this position to bring a young guy, a high school coach who wants to get involved in the college game,” Corn said. “You look at the guys we’ve had, Chris Lowery, Paul Lusk, Matt, they all started in that position and received the opportunity to go on and do something else.
“I’m not going to raid some high school and take their basketball coach from them. We’ll just see if we can find someone with experience, who is not coaching for whatever reason who wants to be involved in it again.”